Ind. officer surrenders after standoff

An Indianapolis police officer threatened to kill himself in a park Tuesday

The Indy Channel

INDIANAPOLIS — An Indianapolis police officer who sparked a standoff Tuesday after he threatened to kill himself in a park on the city's north side surrendered peacefully after four hours.

The incident began before 9 a.m. at Tarkington Park, near the intersection of Illinois and 40th streets, and stretched into the early afternoon.

Sources told RTV6's Jack Rinehart that the Northwest District police officer reported for work Tuesday morning and became distraught after a conversation with his girlfriend before going to the park.

Police began looking for the officer and found him on foot in the middle of the park. His car was found nearby.

SWAT negotiators spoke with the officer on the phone, while he was also talking to friends and family over the phone. He could be seen standing on a knoll in the park.

"Obviously, he was armed at the time, so due to the situation, SWAT was called in," said Indianapolis police spokesman Officer Anthony Schneider.

At one point, the officer dropped his phone and then dropped to his knees and struck a prayerful pose for several minutes.

Eventually, the officer was seen putting down his gun, and he walked down the hill with his hands on his head. He was taken into custody by SWAT officers without incident.

Police said the officer, whose name was not released, was taken to Wishard Memorial Hospital.

"Obviously, it's a difficult situation for officers involved because it is another officer. They are trained very well and their first job is, obviously, to put a peaceful end to the situation, which is what happened today," Schneider said.

Streets in the area were blocked off, paralyzing the neighborhood. Roads were blocked along Meridian Street from 38th to 42nd Street.

The officer who sparked the standoff was once a Marion County sheriff's deputy, sources told Rinehart.